Turtle Love – Sipadan Malaysia

By Alya B. Honsasan

23 – 25 June 2009

N4 07.051 E118 37.655

I SHOULD have gotten the hint when I did my check-out dive the afternoon I arrived at the Sipadan Mabul Resort (SMART) on Mabul Island, one of the two islands within view of Sipadan. On that relaxed 40-minute dive in Paradise 2 and 3, two famous sites near the adjacent Sipadan Water Village, I counted 15—yes, 15—turtles. There were big ones and small ones, swimming ones and sleeping ones, one feeding on the reef and one snoozing away, lodged in a crevice. As we swam towards a huge green turtle (Chelonia mydas) chilling beside a sponge, a small hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) darted in front of us. It didn’t hurt too that SMART had lovely chalets, an excellent staff (with quite a few Filipinos), and hearty meals (even for non-meat eaters like me). It was a wonderful welcome.

I joined Yogi and Stella Freund on the Malaysian leg of the Coral Triangle Photo Expedition, and by the time I arrived, the tireless two were already in turtle heaven. Sipadan, a small island rising 600 meters from the bed of the Celebes Sea, on the northeastern tip of Sabah, is a stunning ecosystem, one of the world’s top dive sites, and a known habitat of marine turtles.

Turtles so used to obnoxious divers, they don’t budge even when you come this close

Male green turtle surfacing to check out the squall

Green turtle choosing a nice background of schooling jacks for her profile shot

It provided a great opportunity to get close to these enigmatic, gentle creatures, vanguards of the marine world, and long acknowledged indicators of reef health that have been increasingly confronted with a slew of threats, from aggressive fishing (they often perish as trawler by-catch) and pollution (they mistake lethal plastic for their favorite food, jellyfish) to turtle egg collection and plain and simple slaughter for their meat and shells.

I had been to Sipadan once before, before the resorts on the island itself were asked to relocate, and before the current quota of 120 divers a day that was imposed in 2004. We did hear stories of visitors who had to wait in line to experience Sipadan in the high season, when the resorts are brimming with people. Somehow, we got lucky, though; there wasn’t much of a crowd, and I was privileged to get to dive the precious island for two days.

Coral reef in Sipadan seems to have improved tremendously, eight years after our last visit

Beautiful and wonderful Sipadan above and underwater

The corals had improved dramatically since my first visit, with large formations growing in shallows and slopes that used to be barren resting places for resting white tips. We also did early morning trips from Kapalai, where we were staying then, to Sipadan to see the endearing bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) that hung out at the break of day.

Hundreds of massive bumphead parrotfish in the shallows of Barracuda Point

This time, I didn’t have to lose any sleep, as we caught them at legendary Barracuda Point on an afternoon dive, a school of about a hundred of them, healthy, friendly, and noisily chomping on the corals, oblivious to our presence.

Stella in and out of schooling jacks that never left their location in Barracuda Point

Stella the ham with a big school of batfish

There were the usual attractions, of course, the sharks, the huge walls of chevron barracuda and circling jacks, elegant batfish, even the occasional shy gray reef shark. But like old friends, the turtles were never very far away.

The half hour chase of the horny male green turtle

On one dive, Yogi hit the jackpot: after some 30 years of photographing turtles all over the world, he had yet to capture them mating. We were at about five meters in Sipadan’s White Tip Alley, 41 minutes into a relaxed dive, when two green turtles, a male and a bigger female, practically slammed into each other. They were soon joined by a second male, and a frenzied, extended, suspenseful dance took place just beneath the water’s surface. After about 10 minutes one male gave up, but the remaining one was relentless, even if the female wasn’t quite ready. He pursued her doggedly, swimming away before launching another surprise attack, nipping her neck, embracing her; on two occasions, we thought he had succeeded, only to see her break free as he tried to mount her. Yogi was in the middle of the action for 31 minutes as Stella and I watched from a respectful distance, transfixed, until the female swam away, the male in quiet pursuit. We surfaced after 72 minutes in the water, tired, excited—and hoping that the fellow did eventually get his way.

Deadly venomous blue-ringed octopus walking the sandy bottom. Just in case you think it’s all big stuff in Sipadan, there are amazing small stuff in neighboring Mabul and Kapalai as well.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Stella was born in Manila, Philippines in 1965. She studied anthropology but ended up in advertising, producing radio and TV commercials for 7 years. After quitting advertising, she ventured into the freelance world in Manila producing video documentaries for a publishing house, government agencies, non govenmental organisations, and the academe. She moved on to producing books and had a stint at working with foreign production companies visiting Manila. Stella, now based in Cairns, produces photo stories with her husband Jürgen Freund.

Testimonials

“I had the best time and learnt so much from both Jürgen and Stella… and the others! And visited a beautiful part of the world I had never been too… what a bonus! Thank you! This will go down in my memories as one of my best holidays EVER!!!”

Chris McKinnon – Tamworth, NSW

“What an incredible workshop! I learned so much about wildlife, camera equipment, techniques and postproduction. Yogi is a fantastic teacher and a remarkable human being. His soft spoken but expert coaching improved my photography immensely and this course was as inspirational as it was informative. I will forever have the memories and skills (and let’s not forget photos!) that I picked up during this workshop. Thanks so much for a truly amazing experience.”

Jenna Rumney – Port Douglas, QLD

“The JCU Nature Photography Masterclass was a wonderful (indeed sublime) experience – a direct result of the effort that Juergen & Stella put into the preparation. Juergen & Stella were the perfect team to lead the Masterclass. Between the two they have just the right blend of enthusiasm, willingness to teach, organisational ability, drive, sense of humour and generosity of spirit. They demonstrated energy and passion during the week with Juergen imparting very generously the technical photogra…

Bruce Terry – Sydney, NSW

“This was more than a course. Not only did I learn a lot from an experienced, patient, knowledgeable tutor and guide, I had to stretch my limited knowledge and came away with a head and notebook full of tips, tricks and information. The course was well organised and run capably by Stella and Yogi, and the inter-action with the other group members ensured strong friendships were made. The willingness to share experiences and knowledge made for a very pleasant learning experience in an area full o…

Philip Michael – Gold Coast, QLD

“An enjoyable and entertaining fun-course of expertly organised subjects and venues, inspired by Yogi’s enthusiasm and generous sharing of his photographic knowledge and experiences. Thanks Yogi, Stella and Tai.”

Annette Corsi – Innisfail, QLD

“It was exciting, refreshing, educational, inspiring and quite entertaining. Juergen’s extraordinary experience made the long days, not long enough for everyone. I have been a photographer for years at a professional level. And as an amateur, I highly recommend this Masterclass.”

Jorge Martins – Cairns, QLD

“I was inspired to take pictures and to improve my eye for capturing a special moment in nature… The course is so well planned to provide opportunities for that special picture in that special place, and each day we were challenged to apply new techniques to get the shot. Unforgettable and such solid step in my learning experience.”

Chico Birrell – Brisbane, QLD

“This was far and away the best in-the-field photo course I’ve done: dedicated, well prepared instructors and organisers with a great sense of humour whose approach showed real interest in us as individuals, and the group responded accordingly. I’d have no hesitation in recommending others to participate.”

Carol Hall – Ballarat, VIC

“I hadn’t originally planned to do the course, but I attended the welcome dinner with my wife and was taken with the presentation by Yogi and Stella. The course promised to be informative and interesting on many levels including photography skills and techniques, local areas of interest for native flora and fauna, and organisational/business skills for professional photographers, Yogi and Stella delivered on these and more, arranging accommodation surrounded by abundant wildlife, organisin…

James Binkley – Bendigo, VIC

“Juergen Freund is a master at his craft and he tailored his response carefully to each of the participant’s personal skills. He never became impatient even with questions that to him must have appeared inane. I personally benefited greatly from his instruction. I would also like to emphasise that Stella was also a pillar of strength and she contributed greatly to the overall success of the program.”